main course, Regional Cuisine

Deshebrada – Shredded Beef with Pepper Strips

by Irene

Deshebrada, meaning “shredded” in Spanish, is the short name for a stew (guisado) of shredded beef with pepper strips (deshebrada de res con rajas) very popular in Mexico’s Northern states, especially Chihuahua.  Because the region is famous for its cattle, it is implied that this dish is made with beef.  The type of peppers used may vary, depending on the level of hotness that is needed; poblanos are a popular choice for medium hotness, but for a sensitive palate, or when catering to children, sweet green peppers are the way to go.

Shredded Beef with Pepper Strips –

Deshebrada (de res con rajas)

Printable recipe: Shredded Beef with Pepper Strips

Ingredients

1 lb (454 g) stewing beef
Water, as needed
1 bay leaf
1 onion
1 large green pepper (poblano, bell, etc.); stem and seeds removed, and cut into strips
1 large tomato; washed, stem end removed and cut into quarters
1 clove garlic; peeled
1 tbsp oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cut ends from onion, remove and discard dry outer layers; slice in half, tear apart and reserve a few inner layers. Slice outer layers thinly; reserve. In a large pot, place meat, inner layers of onion and bay leaf; cover with water and cook, covered, until tender. Remove meat, shred and reserve. Discard cooked onion and bay leaf; strain broth, measuring and reserving one cup (the rest may be kept in the fridge or freezer for another use).  Place measured broth (cooled), tomato and garlic in a blender jar and process until smooth, reserve.

In a large pan, warm up oil over medium heat; add reserved sliced onions and sauté until translucent; add peppers strips and continue cooking, mixing onions and peppers, and coating with oil (photo below, left). After a couple of minutes, incorporate shredded beef (photo below, right):

Allow beef to cook with the vegetables for another couple of minutes, then pour reserved tomato sauce, incorporating with the other ingredients (photo below, left); season with salt and pepper to taste, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, and let stew for ten minutes, uncovered (photo below, right):

Once most of the liquid has evaporated, serve hot, either in a bowl as part of a “tacos de guisado” spread, or Northern style, with a side of pinto beans:

005 serve with beans de la olla

Deshebrada is also one of the traditional fillings for Chihuahua style burritos.  In my next posts, I will share my recipes for homemade flour tortillas, and burritos de guisado.

I am bringing my recipe to Thursday Favourite Things #401 with Bev @ Eclectic Red Barn, Marilyn @ Marilyn’s Treats, Katherine @ Katherine’s Corner, Nina @ Vintage Mama’s Cottage, Amber @ Follow the Yellow Brick Home, Theresa @ Shoestring Elegance, Pam @ An Artful Mom and Linda @ Crafts a la Mode.

I am joining Full Plate Thursday #444 with Miz Helen @ Miz Helen’s Country Cottage.

I am bringing this guisado to Fiesta Friday #288 with Angie @ Fiesta Friday, co-hosting this week with Antonia @ Zoale.com.

I am sharing this recipe at What’s for Dinner? Sunday Link-Up #213 with Helen @ The Lazy Gastronome.

23 thoughts on “Deshebrada – Shredded Beef with Pepper Strips”

  4. This looks so good! Lots of flavor. Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party. Have a lovely week – and I hope to see you at next week’s party too!

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    1. Wonderful! For poblanos, it might be worthwhile roasting and peeling before slicing into strips, since they have a thick skin, or slice thinner than you would for regular peppers. I hope you enjoy it!

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      1. We just finished eating. The fresh poblanos were only very slightly spicy, so I ended up adding some chile powder to the sauce. It was really good. To be posted on my blog soon!

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